Previously on Varions Creed…

Varion infiltrated the Thalmor Embassy to try and find evidence about the dragons. Finding nothing except signs of death and torture, he returns to Delphine with incredible revelations about Ulfric Stormcloak, and rumours of a man called Esbern…

And now, back to the story…

"I'm glad you're alive" Delphine sighed, relief prevalent in her voice. Varion wasted little time, dropping the dossiers and investigation report on her desk before heading over to the chest in the room, taking out and putting on his own gear.

"Yeah, I'd agree with you" Varion replied. He felt far more comfortable with the familiar weight of his armour on instead of some fancy noble robes. "Take a look at those books. You'll find them interesting, they dedicated one to you" he added, reattaching his weapons.

"Say anything nice about me?" Delphine replied with a tone of humour, ignoring that book in favour of the one on Ulfric.

"Apart from wanting you dead, no. I gotta say, killing a whole thalmor assassination squad? Not bad" he commented absentmindedly as he finished changing. "But your mission was a waste of time in terms of the dragons. They know nothing" he continued, letting a bit of annoyance into his tone. Delphine sighed in frustration.

"Damn it. I was so sure…" she muttered. However, her eyes then widened as she picked up the dossier on Esbern, whoever that was.

"Someone you know?" Varion asked.

"Esbern? He's alive?" she wondered to herself out loud, effectively answering Varions question in the most vague way possible.

"Someone you know Delphine?" he asked again a bit louder. She blinked, then turned to him.

"Esbern was a member of the blades, a friend of mine. I thought, after the thalmor wiped us out…" she trailed off, the implications clear. Varion frowned. "If he's still alive, this is huge. He could have the info we need!" she said with excitement. Varion ceased his frown, but raised an eyebrow.

"If you don't know about this, why would he?" he asked curiously.

"Esbern was an archivist for the Blades. Centuries of knowledge about dragons and our history, he'll know it all, or more of it than anyone!" she explained, not losing her genuinely happy tone. It was weird to hear her not sarcastic or annoyed. To be fair, Varion was sure that if he asked anybody about himself, they'd say the same thing.

"I got some intel from a prisoner they had there. He said there was some crazy old guy hiding out in Riften and the thalmor were looking for him" he said. Delphines eyes narrowed.

"Esbern would fit that description. If the thalmor know where he is, time is of the essence" she growled, her familiar tone returning. Varion nodded in agreement.

"I'll set out to Riften. Been there before, it's a pretty awful place" he mentioned with annoyance. "If you wanted to hide somewhere, seems perfect" he added, explaining his earlier comment. Delphine snorted.

"I can't disagree with you there. I'll be waiting for you to get back. When you get to Riften, look for Brynjolf. He's well connected, he can help," she replied, moving to take a seat next to her map of dragon burial sites. "Just a note, Esbern is possibly the most paranoid person I know. There's no way he'll trust you" she said. Varion scoffed.

"So how am I gonna bring him back?" he asked in annoyance. A flash of sadness crossed over Delphines face, but disappeared before Varion could question it.

"Ask him what happened on the 30th of Frostfall. He'll know what that means" she said softly. Varion nodded, then turned to go. Before he could leave, she spoke up once again. "Are you going to return that sword? You have your old one back" she asked, referring to the katana that now was attached to Varions belt. He thought about it for a few seconds, remembering the thalmor blood it had spilled and how light yet strong the blade was. Needless to say, he came to his answer quickly.

"No" he replied bluntly, walking out of the room before Delphine could say another word. Somehow, he doubted she'd have minded him taking up a weapon of the blades. She seemed a little too keen for him to "carry on the legacy of the blades", to put it poetically, as a dragon slayer and thalmor killer. Needless to say, he still didn't fully trust her, she had her own agenda, and his hand would never stray far from drawing a weapon while she was around. Plus it didn't help that she'd nearly wasted her time on a wild goose chase while sending him into one of the most dangerous places in Skyrim.

X-X-X-X-X

The smell of Riften was no less disgusting the second time around, but at least Varion had more or less adapted to it. As he walked down the main street, he kept an eye out for Maul, hoping to cash in that favour if need be. Delphines contact, "Brynjolf", was apparently somewhere in this city, and the sooner Varion found him, and by extension Esbern, the quicker he could leave this filthy place. Sadly, the thug was nowhere to be seen, so Varion went to the marketplace to check it out. Everyone was so on edge, so jittery that walking through the marketplace made him keep his hand close to his katana. The blade of whiterun would be slower to draw, so his new one handed sword would be his go to weapon, at least in a quick skirmish. As he wandered, he once again felt like someone was watching him, but he shrugged off the feeling. After a small argument with a bitchy armour seller, he turned around only to see the redhead from yesterday walk up to him, dressed in all his finery. "Saw you in town a while ago lad. Shame we only had a chance to talk now" he said, an accent heavy in his voice. Varion kept his expression carefully neutral.

"Interested in me, were you?" he replied casually and the man chuckled.

"Well not if you say it like that" he joked and Varion rolled his eyes, realising what he'd just said.

"You want something?" the dragonborn asked, eager to quit the pleasantries and get back to his search.

"Well, that was what I was going to ask of you. You've got quite the heavy coin purse, eh lad?" the stranger asked somewhat rhetorically. Varions hand shifted to his gold pouch, not exactly comfortable with having this guy just sizing it up.

"Why do you ask? For the record, who are you?" The man chuckled at this.

"Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. My names Brynjolf" he said, offering a hand. At this, Varions eyes widened and his lips twitched upwards. He accepted the handshake.

"I'm Varion, and now that you mention it, I do want something. I've been looking for you Brynjolf" Varion revealed, keeping his tone neutral. To Brynjolf's credit, despite the vagueness of that statement, he didn't so much as twitch. "Delphine said you could help me," he added. At this, Brynjolf showed interest.

"Old Delphine sent you to find me eh? Whatever for?" he asked, curiosity in his tone.

"I'm looking for a guy. She said you're well connected, could help me find them. His names Esbern" Varion explained, lowering his voice. Brynjolf frowned in thought, then looked back up at Varion.

"I might know who you're talking about. But I don't work for free" he replied, his tone taking that of a smarmy salesman. Varion rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Of course you don't. But I think me saving this world warrants a freebie" he said tiredly, really not wanting to be dragged into doing Brynjolf a favour.

"Saving the world? What are you talking about?" The redhead was clearly confused, not that Varion could blame him.

"Long story short, I'm the Dragonborn. I need to find Esbern to stop the dragons" Varion explained hurriedly. At last, Brynjolf's ice cool demeanor changed into one of actual nervousness.

"Well, I think maybe we can work something out" he offered. "Esbern's down in the Ratway Warrens. Head into the sewers through the Ragged Flagon. Mention that I sent you, that'll get you past any obstacles. You'll find him" he continued and Varion nodded, offering a hand.

"Thanks. I'll get moving" he replied, eager to find the old man before anyone else did.

"Just don't let the world end, aye?" With that, Brynjolf walked off back to his stall in the market and Varion watched him go with curiosity.

"Yeah, he's not your average rich guy" he muttered under his breath, but he'd have time to figure that out later. He took off at a light jog down to the lower level of Riften, the walkways next to the water. It was disgusting, not helping that Varion spat in it a few times in disgust to get the filth out of his mouth. After peering through a few doors, Varion found one that led to what sure as hell looked like a sewer. He walked through it, not quite relaxed, but not quite on edge. "After all, what crazy person would live down here in a sewer?" he thought to himself.

"Shut up idiot! Just let me worry about the guild!" a male voice hissed from up the hallway and around the corner, picked up by Varions wolf hearing.

"And my question is answered for me" he thought in exasperation. He drew the Blade of Whiterun, letting the glow illuminate the hallway for him. He saw the shadows of the thugs at the end of the hall and grinned. He'd been itching for a straight up fight since before the Thalmor embassy. He crept closer, stepping lightly, hearing the voices get louder and the scent of two people mixing with the sewer smell. He coughed loudly to make himself known and chuckled at the way the two men jumped.

"Hold there! Give us all your money or give us your life!" the shorter of the two growled and Varion rolled his eyes. This guy was truly tiny, and his bigger friend was still at least 6'0, not exactly imposing next to Varion.

"Let me give you a counter offer" he replied with irritation, before quickly shouting. "YOL!" At his shout, flames shot from his mouth and his two enemies were quickly reduced to screaming in pain. Being on fire will do that to you. Varion quickly cut them down, ending their suffering, then moved on after giving them one last look of distaste. "Riften really is the worst…" he groaned.

X-X-X-X-X

The Ragged Flagon was hardly worthy of being called a bar. It smelt fractionally less awful in here. Varion walked in, keeping a hand ready to draw his sword, glancing around at the surroundings. The pool in the centre was surrounded by a stone walkway and at the other side of that walkway was a sign and a brute standing next to it, also known as the entrance to the inn. Varion made it over there, but brute guy stepped in his way. "What're you doin' here?" he asked gruffly. Varion matched his gaze, this guy was actually somewhat imposing. Same height as Varion, terrible breath and muscles on muscles. Almost a light warmup in a fight.

"I'm here to get into the Ratway. Move" he answered equally as bluntly. The brute flexed his shoulders.

"I don't like your tone friend" he threatened, though Varion didn't back down.

"Brynjolf gave me permission to come through here. Go take it up with him" he retorted, satisfied by the look of interest in the brutes eyes.

"Old Bryn? Huh. Fine. Don't cause any trouble" he grunted, moving aside. Varion walked past, satisfied with the ease of that formality, yet also disappointed that he hadn't gotten to dump that guy head first into the water. It wasn't the dragon nature urge to destroy, he hadn't felt that in a while now. He just liked fighting, and beating up arrogant inn guards had been something of a hobby of his back before Skyrim. He strode through the bar to the counter, barely sparing the other people a glance. Their armour was interesting though, not like anything he'd seen before. The way it was all so similar either meant these guys had very similar fashion taste or it was a uniform of some kind.

"Hey, barkeep" he called out, rapping his fist on the counter. "Where can I find the ratway?" The innkeeper in question looked him up and down. "Before you get any ideas about asking me who I am or why, Brynjolf gave me the go-ahead to be here" he added, attempting to avoid unnecessary delays. The man regarded him with interest.

"Well, if Bryn let you down here, I suppose we can forgive your rudeness" he said while glowering. Varion rolled his eyes in response. "The ratway is through that door. Careful, saw a whole bunch of elves down there. High and mighty type" the man added with disgust. Varion growled.

"Thalmor?"

"Could've been. They asked the same question you did. Told them the same thing. If Bryn really did send you down here, then I'll give you advice. Watch yourself, or you'll just be another body adding to the stench of Riften" the man finished solemnly. Varion nodded in thanks, then turned and walked into the deeper ratway. It was even darker, even danker, even worse in basically every way. He made his way through, using his sword for light. He did hear voices, but thanks to his hearing, he was able to pinpoint where they were and avoid detection. Sneaking around the Thalmor base had taught him a thing or two. Soon enough, he eventually happened across a door. Well, door might've been an understatement. It was one of the most heavily fortified things Varion had ever seen. He doubted that even his voice would've been able to break through.

"Delphine said Esbern would be paranoid. The massive door would fit that description" he thought sarcastically. He shrugged and settled for banging his fist on the door. A little slider in the top of the door opened up and he saw an old mans face look through.

"Go away!" he yelled and Varion rolled his eyes.

"Great first impression" he thought with annoyance. "Hey old man, you're Esbern right?" he asked, already knowing the answer but wanting confirmation nonetheless.

"What? No that's not me, I'm not Esbern. I've got no idea what you're talking about!" the man vehemently denied.

"I'm Varion. Delphine sent me to find you" Varion explained. The man's eyes flashed with recognition and he looked defeated, not aggressive and scared as he had just before.

"So, Delphine keeps up the fight after all these years" he chuckled humourlessly. "I thought that she would've realised it's pointless by now. But now you've used her to find me, and here I am, a cornered rat" he lamented. Varion actually felt kinda sorry for the old man just by listening to him. The guy sounded so defeated, so hopeless.

"I'm not with the Thalmor Esbern" Varion reassured. "Delphine sent me here to find you, so we can stop the dragons" he added.

"That's a nice statement, but you've given me little reason to believe you" Esbern muttered. Varion then remembered Delphines words from earlier.

"Esbern" he called out again, getting the old man's attention. "What happened on the 30th of Frostfall?" he asked. As he'd hoped, his words had the expected reaction. Esbern's demeanor changed again, now actually seeming somewhat alive as opposed to the dead shell he'd been a few seconds ago.

"That question… Delphine really did send you?" he asked rhetorically. "Hold on a moment, let me get the door open, then we can talk" he offered, ducking out of the little door hatch. Varion then heard random mutters from the old man as well as the sound of several locks being undone.

"Damn. Delphine wasn't kidding about paranoid" he thought with mild amusement. Eventually the door opened and Varion walked inside.

"Come in, come in. Make yourself at home" Esbern welcomed and Varion took a seat on the single bed as the old man sat down on his chair. "So, Delphine hasn't realised that it's hopeless yet. That's just like her, stubborn as they come" he said absentmindedly. "I tried to tell them all those years ago…" he trailed off and Varion raised an eyebrow.

"Back up a sec there old man. Why do you keep saying it's hopeless? The thalmor are strong, but not that strong" he questioned. Esbern shook his head.

"No, no, I refer to our true enemy. The thalmor are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, now that the end is upon us" he replied cryptically. Varion was now concerned. Either this guy was crazy or he knew something that Varion didn't. Probably both actually.

"Start explaining. What do you mean the end?" he commanded with concerned curiosity and Esbern sighed.

"I can't believe you all haven't figured it out. Fools, all of them…" he muttered, causing Varion to clench his fist in annoyance though he said nothing "Doom is upon us. Just as the prophecy said, Alduin the World-Eater has returned. The undead dragon who devours the souls of the dead. No-one can escape him in life or the next! He will bring about the end of this world, and there is nothing that can be done to stop him!" Varions eyes widened.

"The literal end of the world?" he asked in shock, not wanting to comprehend such a thing.

"Yes" Esbern replied, all the fight leaving him again. "It's all been foretold. Alduin has returned. The only thing that can stop him is a dragonborn, but one has not been seen-"

"I'm gonna cut you off right there old man. Enough with all this hopeless shit" Varion said with annoyance. At Esberns wide-eyed and offended expression, Varion grinned. "It's not all over Esbern. I'm Dragonborn". Of all the different people he'd told about being dragonborn and their reactions, Esberns was perhaps the one Varion found most heartwarming. The way that life seemed to just come back into the old man at that simple revelation was quite astounding.

"You, are truly dragonborn? Then the gods have not abandoned us!" he said with enthusiasm. A smile actually graced Esbern's face. "Quickly, we must go to Delphine! I have so much to discuss…" he said absentmindedly as he stood up and began rummaging around his room. Varion chuckled at the sight of the old man, but then his thoughts turned darker.

"Alduin, the dragon that's bringing back the others, the one that saved me. He's going to destroy the world?" Varion thought with large amounts of concern. He'd brushed it off like nothing for Esbern's sake, having a confident hero would help the old man stop moping, but the revelation weighed heavily on his own soul. "Like hell he is!" he growled internally. For the first time since Driftshade Refuge, Varion felt a second nature burning inside of him. His dragon nature growled alongside his own thoughts, the two natures of Varion aligning in goal and desire for now. "Alduin's not getting close to destroying the world. Not if I destroy him first! I'll tear that bastard apart! He'll regret saving my life!"

A/N:Oh god I did it. Sorry for the long break in the story, but I just didn't like writing this chapter. The "Cornered Rat" mission is not one I enjoy, and thus I didn't enjoy writing the chapter here, except for the convo with old Esbern! I'll try to make the next one more fun for me to write and hopefully more fun for you guys to read!

So, Varion now knows about the apocalypse. In the game I always found it kinda annoying how the player doesn't really seem to react much to this, but be assured, Varion doesn't exactly take this lightly. How will he change, and how will his dragon nature play into the events to come? Keep reading to find out!

Oh, and Brynjolf was there too. Yay

Thanks for reading, see you all next chapter!